St. Paul daily globe., 1887-04-30
,ORT BENTON.
aome Facts and Figures Concerning
the St. Paul of Montana.
Tie Head OF Navigation on the Mis-
souri, River and the Most Prom
ising Town in the New
Northwest.
The Coming of the Manitoba Rail-
road Means n Big Boom for
Montana's RIVER Me-
tropolis.

The head of navigation on the Mississippi
and the head of navigation of the Missouri
yers-St. Paul and Fort Benton--wlll he
linked together by bands of Bessemer steel
before the close of the auspiclous season OF
1887. Considering that there is an Indian
reservation 500 miles across intervening and
that the distance from the end of the track
at Minot. Oak. to Fort Benton, Mont. IS
in round numbers, 700 miles, this state
ment has the tinge of exaggeration ana
would seem to border almost on the impos
sibe. but it is, nevertheless. absolutely true.
At the latest, September l, 1887, will wit
ness the direct connection by rail of these
cities of destiny. made such by their posi-
tions at the head of the navigable waters of
the mighty Mississippi and Missouri.
FORT BENTON.
Fort Benton was once alluded to by the
New York Sun as 1.-The isolated city of the
great Northwest" :" and the appeliatiun is
not an inappropriate one. While the town
is the center of a great grazing and agri-
cultural region, with extensive fields of
coal and mountains of mineral adjacent to
it, and while it has been from the earliest
annals of Montana to this day an important,
and even remarkable trade center, it is
still without railroad, and stage ride of
$50 miles to Helena, or 225 miles to Billings
is necessary to reach the Northern Pacific,
the nearest line. Considering the wonder
ful resources of this section, and the adj
vantageous situation of the town. at the
head of navigation on the Missouri river, it
is not surprising that momentous results are
expected from the coming of the Manitoba
i; fl,e,1 r1yoHl Ia
that the citizens of the
ST. PAUL OF MONTANA
anticipate an immense boom" this season.
Fort Benton is not paper nor a wildcat
town. but ranks among the most substan-
tial in the Northwest. Being so far from
any line of railroad, it is less known prob
ably than many towns of not one-tenth the
Importance, commercially or otherwise.
Fort Benton contains population of 1900
souls and has a regularly organized city
government that does not owe dollar to
anybody. 1t is the principal supply and
shipping point of the immense area known
as Northern Montana and has merchants
who transact an enormous business an
nually, some of them carrying
stocks of S25O,OOO and whose
places of business are the largest
and most complete between St. Paul and
the Rocky mountains. 1t has the finest
school house in Montana and, with one ex-
cepton, the finest court house,; the best
hotel building in the new Northwest built
at cost of $780, 600; and as fine business
houses and residences as can be found in
the same region, the leading ones varying
in cost of construction from SIS, 900 to S25,-
900. 1t has under way complete system
of water works-the gravity system-which
ho, ,a,,fs s,,o of
900, on account of the favorable location of
the town. 1t has three churches. $780,
900 sisters hospital, two banks, a daily
newspaper and
MORE WEALTH
in proportion to population than any other
city, town or hamlet in the Northwest 1t
is the county seat of Choteau county that
has an assessment roll of S4,000,000 and
which will be swelled to more than $5. 000,
600 this year. and in which the rate of tax
alton is only IA mills on the dollar. 1t is
the headquarters of the immense cattle in
terestS of Northern Montana and iS::pre-emi-
nently the wool town of the territory. Last
year
1900, 900 POUNDS OF WOOL
were shipped by river from Fort Benton
and the shipments of this season promise to
reach 1000. 600 pounds. 1t is the head
quarters of the Benton Transportation COM
pany, composed mainly of citizens of Fort
Benton, with Commodore T. c. Power at
its head, which is this year operating nine
steamboats, from Fort Benton to Bismarck,
with more business now in sight than ever
before known at this early date in the an
nails of steamboating on the upper Missouri
river.
IT WILL BOOM.
These are some of the striking features of
Fort Benton. and they ought to 60 a good
way to establish the proposition laid down
that it is not a paper or wildcat city. We
ask again if it would not be marvellous if a
city so favorably situated, with a wonder
full business already built up and the found
ations of commercial greatness well and
deeply laid. did not "boom" 1--WE use the
word as the synonym of prosper and
not in the unhealthy Sense) on the approach
OF the fiery steed Of commerce, whose
neighing has never been heard in all the
wide region about Fort Benton? 1t would
be more than marvellous. The Manitoba
railroad can indulge in but little t2=-t
TOWN BUILDING : t-3o1''
this year. although it will lay over 700 miles
of new track. After leaving the Little
Muddy in Dakota. at the crossing of Which.
stream. it is SAID, town will be built;
they enter at once the great reservation,
and until it is opened by act of congress.
towns, or even settlement of any character,
can not be attempted. After traversing the
reservation for nearly 500 miles. Fort Ben
ton is the first town reached (but twelve
niles from the western limit of the reserved
md it will be the first place in Montana to
feel the vivifyng influence of the Manitoba's S
great enterprise. The heaviest work on the
entire line, from Minot to the mountain
division. is in this vicinity, and Fort Benton
will be the base of supplies for the army of
men at work along the line distance of
200 miles. In consequence season of un-
eXanpled prosperity is expected. and prep
lrations to that end are going forward.
No town in the country offers better in
ducements for investment, especially as
property of all kinds can be purchased at
very reasonable figures at this time. The
Fort Benton board of trade will be glad to
answer any inquiries in regard to the town
or its resources.